1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image inputting device being preferably used in, for example, a culling-facing-canceling machine for postal matter, and more particularly to the image inputting device for detecting and identifying a type, position, amount, and/or a like of an indicia, such as a postage stamp, a permit imprint, a meter, and/or a like, affixed or printed on a nonstandard size mail (flat mail).
The present application claims priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-020570 filed on Jan. 28, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in order to cancel postage stamps and/or face standard size mails (letter mails) including postcards, a culling-facing-canceling machine to be exclusively used for letters has been developed and is in actual use.
The culling-facing-canceling machine 101 for letters, as shown in FIG. 9, includes an indicia detection processing module 102 to detect and identify a kind, position, amount, and/or a like of an indicia, such as a postage stamp, a permit imprint, and a meter (postage paid) affixed or printed on postal matter, a facing processing module 103 to face postal matter (turning postal matter toward a same direction) so that the detected indicia are arranged on a lower side of the postal matter, for example, along a carrying direction, a cancellation processing module 104 to cancel (postmark) a postage stamp using, for example, an ink jet printer when the postage stamp is affixed to the postal matter, and a mail accumulating module 105 to accumulate postal matter.
The indicia detection processing module 102 has an image inputting device (not shown) (scanner) to capture an image (monochrome image or color image) affixed or printed on a postal matter being carried at a specified speed and a recognition processing section (not shown) to recognize, for example, a kind of an indicia.
When the above postal matter is radiated with ultraviolet light, a fluorescent substance formed on a surface of the postal matter is pumped and almost all stamps emit phosphorescence and almost all meter emit fluorescence.
Therefore, in the indicia detection processing module 102, by radiating the postal matter with ultraviolet light and by detecting the phosphorescence or fluorescence, processing of detecting and identifying the indicia is performed (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei08-030785).
In the case of the standard size, since their sizes are almost equal and positions of affixing (printing) of an indicia, such as a postage stamp and a meter or the like are almost determined, the above indicia detection processing module 102 is so constructed as to detect only a position (height) of an indicia from a bottom face (face on which the postal matter is placed) of the postal matter being carried in an erected state, to arrange one set of the image inputting device, each set being made up two of the image inputting devices, in a manner in which a carrying path is interposed between the two image inputting devices configured so as to face each other and to be able to scan both front and rear sides of the postal matter.
The indicia detection processing module 102, as shown in FIG. 10, has image inputting devices 107 and 108 to be used for scanning a surface and a rear face, respectively, for detection of an indicia on both surface and rear face sides at a specified height position relative to a postal matter being transferred and being flown toward a carrying direction X on a carrying path 106, and an upside-down reversing section 109 to reverse the postal matter upside-down when necessary based on the detection result and the postal matter reversed upside-down is again transferred via a feed-back path 110 to entrance sides of the image inputting devices 107 and 108. The postal matter having passed through the indicia detection processing module 102 is transferred to the facing processing module 103 and cancellation processing module 104.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 11, an indicia detection processing module 119 may have another configuration with no feed-back path 106 and have image inputting devices 114 and 115 used for scanning the surface and a rear face to detect the indicia on both the surface and rear face sides at a specified height position relative to a postal matter being transferred and being flown in a carrying direction Y on a carrying path 113, an upside-down reversing section 116 to reverse the postal matter upside-down when necessary based on the detection result, and the indicia detecting processing module 119 having a pair of image inputting devices 117 and 118 arranged on an exit side of an upside-down reversing section 116. The postal matter having passed through the indicia detection processing module 119 is transferred to the facing processing module 120 and cancellation processing module 121.
The indicia, though being affixed (printed) to a left upper portion of the postal matter, can be detected and identified by using the indicia detecting processing modules 102 and 119, irrespective of orientation of the postal matter (carrying pattern), that is, irrespective of a position of the indicia on the postal matter viewed from the image inputting devices 107, 108 (114, 115, 117, 118). Directional patterns of a postal matter include four patterns as shown in FIG. 12 to FIG. 15. First, as shown in FIG. 12, if a postal matter “A” is carried by a carrying belt 122 with its surface side (side to which an indicia “B” is affixed) being directed toward a side of the image inputting device 107 (114) and with the indicia “B” being placed on an upstream side, the image inputting device 107 (114) detects and identifies the indicia “B” from a carrying bottom face 122a (face on which the postal matter is placed) of the carrying belt 122 when at least a partial portion of the indicia “B” passes by a detection area “C” having a specified height “h”. In this case, the postal matter is not reversed upside-down by the upside-down reversing section 109 (116) and is carried toward the facing processing module 103 (120).
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 13, if the postal matter A is carried by the carrying belt 122 with its surface side being directed toward a side of the image inputting device 108 (115) and with the indicia “B” being placed on a downstream side, the image inputting device 108 (115) detects and identifies the indicia “B” when at least a partial portion of the indicia “B” passes by the detection area C. In this case, too, the postal matter B is not reversed upside-down by the upside-down reversing section 109 (116) and is carried toward the facing processing module 103 (120). Also, as shown in FIG. 14, if the postal matter A is carried by the carrying belt 122 with its surface side being directed toward a side of the image inputting device 107 (114) and with the indicia “B” being placed on the downstream side, since the indicia “B” does not pass by the detection area C, neither the image inputting device 107 (114) nor the image inputting device 108 (115) detects and identifies the indicia “B” and the indicia “B” is reversed upside-down by the upside-down reversing section 109 (116).
After that, the image inputting device 108 (118) detects the indicia “B” when at least a part of the indicia “B” passes by the detection area C, and the postal matter B is carried toward the facing processing module 103 (120).
Also, as shown in FIG. 15, if the postal matter A is carried by the carrying belt 122 with its surface side being directed toward a side of the image inputting device 108 (115) and with the indicia “B” being placed on the upstream side, since the indicia “B” does not pass by the detection region C, neither the image inputting device 107 (114) nor the image inputting device 108 (115) detects and identifies the indicia “B” and the indicia “B” is reversed upside-down by the upside-down reversing section 109 (116).
After that, the image inputting device 107 (117) detects the indicia “B” when at least a part of the indicia “B” passes by the detection area C, and the postal matter A is carried toward the facing processing module 103 (120).
In the case of the image inputting devices 107 and 108 (114, 115, 117, and 118), the phosphorescence or fluorescence emitted from the indicia “B” passing by the detection area C is feeble, a photosensor having a high sensitivity is used to receive the phosphorescence or fluorescence. Additionally, to improve a gain, a sufficiently wide aperture for receiving the light is provided and a width of a belt-shaped detection area is set at a comparatively large value. By sampling a signal output from the photosensor according to a passage state of the postal matter at specified time intervals, detection of the indicia “B” is made.
On the other hand, in the case of nonstandard size postal matter, there are many problems such as a difficulty in handling mail and device sizes, and in processing capability and, therefore, automatization (mechanization) for handling the nonstandard size postal matter is not yet advancing. That is, the nonstandard size postal matter of large and/or thin types vary largely in size, from a range of about 160 mm to about 400 mm in the carrying direction, from a range of about 150 mm to about 300 mm in height, and from a range of about 1 mm to 20 mm in thickness. An surface area of the nonstandard size postal matter is large, as a result, causing large variations in positions where indicias are affixed (printed). Also, a larger number of stamps are affixed to nonstandard size postal matter when compared with the case of standard size, in many cases.
Thus, a problem occurs when the conventional culling-facing-canceling machine for letters is used as the culling-facing-canceling machine to be applied to nonstandard size postal matter. That is, omission of the detection of postal matter increases due to variations in affixed (printed) positions since the nonstandard size postal matter is carried outside a range of the detection in a position having a specified height from the carrying bottom face (on which postal matter is placed), in many cases. Moreover, another problem occurs, for example, in that a plurality of numbers of stamps can be detected so long as the postage stamps are placed along a carrying direction, however, an omission occurs in the detection of stamps if being arranged in a longitudinal direction (vertical and scanning direction) orthogonal to a carrying direction, which, as a result, causes a decrease of merits obtained by making the detecting processes automatic. To solve this problem, a method is proposed in which a plurality of photosensors is arranged along the longitudinal direction described above.
However, this proposal has also a problem in that the photosensors can be arranged only at intervals of about 20 mm at most, due to a limitation in terms of a physical size, making it impossible to improve resolution of the photosensors and difficult to accurately detect the kind or position of the indicia. Another problem is that, to solve a problem of variations in thickness of postal matter, an adjustment of overlapping between areas for detection by the photosensors and/or compensation for variations in sensitivity among the photosensors are required. Still another problem is that, even if a single photosensor is employed, an adjustment of a gain and/or offset of the photosensor is needed and, if the plurality of the photosensors is used in combination, the adjustment is made complicated, causing much time and labor to be required. Still another problem is that use of many photosensors causes high costs. To solve this problem, technology is proposed in which a linear CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) having light sensing devices, instead of photosensors, arranged in a linear state along a vertical direction orthogonal to the carrying direction is employed for the detection of the indicia (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 2001-243458 and 2001-14425).
A first problem to be solved is that, when the postal matter is radiated with the ultraviolet light and, as a result, the phosphorescence or fluorescence is received from the indicia, it is difficult to receive the phosphorescence, which is emitted with delay separately from the emission of the fluorescence, in a state in which the phosphorescence is differentiated from the fluorescence, thus making it impossible to accurately detect a kind or position of the indicia of the postal matter. A second problem to be solved is that, if such a feed-back path as employed in the conventional culling-facing-canceling machine for letters or such an additional pair of the image inputting devices is provided also on a downstream side as employed in the culling-facing-canceling machine for letters, the indicia detection processing module is made larger due to the large postal matter, which causes costs to be increased and a limitation to be imposed on an installation place.